Liliane Tillard was a hopeless case.

And she was everyone’s emotional safety net.

You know the type—the person who made everyone else think, At least my life isn’t as ruined as theirs.

“The only powerless member of House Tillard.”

“The useless failure who can’t stop an Esper’s Rampage.”

“The woman even her fiancé can’t stand.”

Whenever someone mentioned one of those unpleasant nicknames, they were almost always talking about Liliane.

She had been born into one of the empire’s most prestigious families, yet it was as if she had a talent for collecting nothing but trash.

But today, on the day of the competition to choose the Crown Prince of the Pernies Empire—

“Lady Liliane! Lady Liliane!”

“Your Highness Evren!”

“Lady Liliane is the best!”

“Whoooooo!”

Thunderous cheers echoed throughout the arena.

Astonishingly, they were all chanting the name of Liliane—the owner of those disgraceful nicknames.

A noblewoman watching from the audience clenched her fists in excitement.

“I saw it with my own eyes, and I still can’t believe it!”

“Her Awakening was already a miracle, but purifying the mental corruption of so many people at once…!”

“I’m so glad I came to see this!”

The ticket had been worth every coin.

The excited woman suddenly looked at the earrings on the person beside her with envy.

“Oh! You’re wearing Mariposa earrings.”

“Hehe. You recognized them?”

“How could I not?”

Not only were they the most praised design in the capital, they were also an artifact capable of curing Esper Syndrome.

“I’m definitely buying a pair next time… Lady Liliane has to release another batch.”

“Haha, you’d better buy them the moment they’re available. They sell out instantly. These days, it’s much better to buy directly from House Tillard than—”

As they chatted enthusiastically, one of them secretly glanced toward a family seated on the other side of the arena.

The atmosphere around House Tillard was no different from a funeral.

Even the once-celebrated “Perfect Tillard Siblings” wore gloomy expressions.

“…So Lady Iris’s business was actually Lady Liliane’s all along…”

“Shh! Keep your voice down.”

“But everyone already knows.”

“That’s true, but…”

The two women looked back toward the Tillard family.

Who could have imagined it?

That Liliane—the abandoned, powerless girl—would become the brightest star in the empire.

Or that she would return as the fiancée of the infamous First Prince.

A fated romance between two people from enemy families.

Today’s event itself had supposedly been made possible by the power of that destined love.

“But where did Lady Liliane and His Highness go?”

“The competition is still going on…”

The two people everyone was searching for were currently trapped inside one of the arena’s waiting rooms.

Bang. Bang.

BOOM!

A massive hole appeared in a wall as hard as diamond.

Liliane, with her pink hair and green eyes flecked with golden light, thought to herself,

I’m screwed.

“Your Highness.”

She whispered to the man clutching at his chest.

“Your Highness… pull yourself together.”

“Hah… ngh…”

As Liliane placed a hand on the man’s back, bent over in agony, the First Prince winced.

The First Prince.

Evren.

An S-Class Esper—and the villain of the original novel.

A man known throughout the empire as the Imperial Mad Dog, despite there not being a single rabid dog in the country.

Back then, Liliane had secretly given him ridiculous nicknames like Warm Iced Americano and Silver Boy.

It was her way of making someone terrifying seem less frightening.

After all, the more time passed, the more human he became.

But now…

Cold sweat covered the face beneath his shimmering silver hair.

A crimson spiderweb pattern was spreading across his left cheek.

He’s really going to go into Rampage here…?

“Ren!”

“…Lily.”

He smiled faintly.

“So you’re leaving after all.”

He had always been breathtakingly beautiful.

But with the symptoms of an impending Rampage, there was now something dangerously alluring about him.

“Ren, stay with me! We have to go back out there!”

“After making me into someone who can’t live without you…”

“Wait—? Where did you even learn to say something that misleading?”

“So where exactly…”

“…do you think you’re going?”

He reached out and clasped her hand.

His lips touched the back of her intertwined fingers.

They were so hot they almost burned.

Seeing Liliane freeze in surprise, he smiled.

“My life is already ruined.”

“So yours can be ruined with mine.”

“Hah…!”

Liliane thought once again,

Anyone who tries to twist the original story always ends up paying for it.

But this isn’t happening at the right time.

How did things even end up like this?

…It has to be because of that cursed phytoncide.

Then his face moved even closer.

Chapter 1

To Be Abandoned Requires a Grand Plan

Something had changed about Liliane.

Her fiancé, Young Duke Karkin Pavil, was thoroughly annoyed.

For the past month, Liliane had completely ignored every attempt he made to contact her.

I’m willing to marry a powerless nobody, and she dares treat me like this?

“It’s about time I taught her some manners.”

Grinning, Karkin pulled a letter of broken engagement from his jacket pocket.

This was his favorite little game.

Whenever he wanted to watch Liliane panic and desperately cling to him, he would threaten to break off the engagement.

I’ll throw it at her during today’s party.

Chuckling to himself, Karkin entered the gardens of House Tillard.

Many nobles had already gathered for the tea party.

But why was everyone looking at him like that?

“My goodness… the Young Duke…”

“I can’t believe it…”

“Ahem… what a painfully tragic romance.”

…What?

Then he spotted a familiar woman with pink hair.

Liliane Tillard.

His dimwitted fiancée.

“Karkin.”

“I never knew.”

“Knew what?”

“That you and my cousin were involved in such a… heartbreaking relationship.”

Thud.

A newspaper landed at his feet.

Young Duke Pavil: Even While Cheating, “His Taste Never Changes?”

Karkin Pavil of one of the empire’s Five Sacred Houses, respected throughout the empire!

While engaged for ten years to Lady Liliane Tillard…

Why has he been openly dating her cousin, Lady Iris Tillard?

“Our love hurts too much to let go.”

…Who leaked this?

Liliane smirked inwardly.

I did, you filthy bastard.

Submitting anonymous tips to newspapers isn’t exactly difficult.

She silently walked toward the still-frozen Karkin.

Smack!

Smack!

She slapped him hard across both cheeks.

“Kh…!”

He had come here to humiliate Liliane.

How did it feel instead to become the fool in front of everyone?

“You certainly came prepared, Karkin Pavil.”

“You even brought a letter of broken engagement for the sake of your new love.”

“Y-you…!”

“Fine.”

“I’ll sign it, just like you wanted.”

She elegantly signed the very document he had intended to use to threaten her.

One copy fluttered down onto the head of her now-collapsed former fiancé.

Then Liliane turned toward the other culprit.

Her cousin.

Iris.

With platinum-blonde hair, emerald-green eyes, and a pitiful, trembling expression.

“Iris.”

“Congratulations.”

“S-Sister?”

“I’ll gladly give up the future Duchess’s seat to you.”

“…!”

“Besides, you suit Young Duke Karkin much better than Prince Kyle.”

“I-I don’t have any interest in the Young Duke!”

At Liliane’s cheerful blessing, Iris’s expression completely fell apart.

She had only toyed with Karkin because he had been her cousin’s fiancé.

Nothing more.

Karkin stared at her in disbelief.

“What? Iris, that’s not what you told me! Weren’t you the one who said I was the only—”

“Young Duke, please be quiet!”

The surrounding nobles immediately began whispering.

“My goodness…”

“So they really broke off the engagement?”

“And he’s actually with Lady Iris?”

“Poor Lady Liliane…”

Clap.

Liliane clapped her hands.

Everyone instinctively looked toward her.

The villainess who had always seemed gloomy and insignificant now smiled with effortless elegance.

“The Young Duke is leaving.”

“Please escort him… straight out the front gate.”

Trash belongs outside.

Now…

Would all of you kindly disappear…

…from my new life?